Taylor Swift released “august” on July 24, 2020.
The song arrived as part of Folklore, which Swift announced with only a short lead time before its release. That surprise-drop strategy contrasted with the lengthy promotional campaigns used for many of her earlier albums. “august” was not introduced as a conventional standalone lead single; it was an album track that gradually became a seasonal favorite.
Its title and late-summer imagery helped the track develop a recurring cultural life. Each August, listeners use it in videos, photo dumps, and nostalgic posts that summarize a summer or mark the approach of autumn. The annual trend reflects the song’s subject matter rather than a new recording released every year.
The date can be confused with August 1, the first day of the month celebrated by many fans. However, the song itself premiered several days earlier, on the same date as the full Folklore album.